DOCSLIB.ORG

Marijuana Consumption Patterns Among Frequent Consumers in Montevideo1

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Marijuana Consumption Patterns Among Frequent Consumers in Montevideo1 Marijuana Consumption Patterns among Frequent Consumers in Montevideo1 Paper to be presented at the 9th Conference of the International Society for the Study of Drug Policy (ISSDP) Ghent, Belgium. May 19-22, 2015 Dr. Maria Fernanda Boidi Insights Research and Consulting Montevideo, Uruguay [email protected] Dr. Rosario Queirolo Universidad Católica del Uruguay Montevideo, Uruguay [email protected] Dr. José Miguel Cruz Latin American and Caribbean Center, Florida International University Miami, Florida, United States [email protected] 1 The authors wish to express their gratitude to Florida International University, Universidad Católica del Uruguay and the Open Society Foundations whose joint efforts funded data collection for this project, and have led to the creation of the Latin American Marijuana Research Initiative (LAMRI). Special thanks go to Héctor Suárez and Jessica Ramírez, from the Observatorio Uruguayo de Drogas; Gustavo Robaina and the team of Pro-Derechos; Liesl Picard from LACC, Brad Hittle, Beau Kilmer and Peter Reuter. Finally, a huge thanks goes to the Red de Usuarios de Drogas, and especially to Milagros, for opening her house and network to our project. The final responsibility is, of course, solely ours. 1 Abstract Background: In 2013, Uruguay became the first country in fully regulating the marijuana market that now operates under state control. Marijuana can be legally acquired in three ways: self-cultivation, Cannabis club membership, and purchase in pharmacies (not yet implemented), and users need to enter a confidential registry to gain access. Methods: This article presents the results of a Respondent Driven Sample survey of 294 high-frequency marijuana consumers that live in Montevideo and the metropolitan area. Results: Frequent consumers started experimenting with marijuana long before achieving the legal age to do it, with the mean age of first experience being lower for the youngest. Frequent consumers resort to more than one method for acquiring marijuana, with undisputable predominance of illegal means of access. Marijuana users overwhelmingly support the current regulation, but a big proportion of them are reluctant to register. Conclusions: Some of the attitudes and behaviors of the high-frequency consumers might posit a challenge to the success of the marijuana law. Individuals relying in more than one method of access defy the unique way of access clause that is a prerequisite to legal access. Reluctance to enter the register by a big proportion of high-frequency consumers generates doubts about the law being able to achieve its objectives if it fails to embrace most consumers under the registry. 2 Introduction In 2013, Uruguay became the first country in the world to regulate the possession, growth, and distribution of Cannabis. The initiative of marijuana regulation by the then president José Mujica, was passed by the Uruguayan Congress and signed into Law as 19,172 by the President in December 20, 2013. Law 19,172 provides three ways to legally obtain Cannabis in Uruguay: through self-cultivation, by participating in Cannabis clubs, or by directly purchasing marijuana at a pharmacy. Individuals must become registered users before the IRCCA, the Instituto de Regulación y Control del Cannabis (or Cannabis Control and Regulation Institute). Currently, the channels of access to marijuana are mutually exclusive: individuals must select only one way to (legally) obtain marijuana. The regulation establishes that a maximum amount of 40 grams of marijuana per month per user will be distributed. The new marijuana policy is still under implementation. The registry for self- cultivators has been completed and the process for the registration of Cannabis clubs is under way; about 15 clubs are in the process of obtaining approval for IRCCA at the moment (but none has gotten it yet). Sales through pharmacies have been deferred several times, likely due to the complexity of its implementation (which required, among other tasks, an open call for companies interested in cultivating marijuana for this purpose). The IRCCA has not made public its decision regarding how many companies (nor which ones) will be in charge of the cultivation. Many aspects of the marijuana regulation policy implementation and the regulations that come with them are still being drafted. 3 The innovative drug policy approach in which Uruguay has embarked has been met with great enthusiasm by the civil movements that had long claimed for legal marijuana in Uruguay2 and that had been a key part of the current policy design (Garat 2015). The regulation of marijuana, however, has been also met with important challenges. According to the AmericasBarometer 2014, over sixty percent of Uruguayan citizens have expressed disagreement with the law (Boidi, Queirolo, and Cruz 2015). Additionally, leaders within the International Narcotics Control Board have expressed opposition to legalization, characterizing the new law as being in direct defiance of the international drug control treaties.3 As a result, Uruguay faces both domestic and international opposition in pursuing its innovative marijuana regulation model. In this context, the Latin American Marijuana Research Initiative (LAMRI) is conducting a series of studies about different aspects of the new drug policy environment in Uruguay.4 This article focuses in one of our most recent studies: a Respondent Driven Sample (RDS) survey of frequent marijuana consumers in Montevideo and the Montevideo metropolitan area. The main aim of this research is to describe the attitudes and behaviors of the recurrent marijuana users, especially in light of the new regulations. Frequent marijuana consumers (those who use marijuana at least once a week) were asked about their first experiences with marijuana, as well as their 2 It is worth mentioning that consumption of marijuana has been legal in Uruguay since 1974, according to Law 14,294. However, the acquisition of the substance remained illegal, which was source of concern for consumers that needed to violate the law to incur in a behavior that was legal. This led to judicial insecurity, with police officers and ultimately judges having great discretion over penalization for users. See Garat 2015 for more details. 3 http://www.newsweek.com/un-says-us-marijuana-legalization-violates-international-law-283912 4 LAMRI was born with the objective of monitoring the regulation process of the Cannabis market in Uruguay, as well as the ongoing debate and developments on the issue that are taking place across the Americas. As indicated by its name, this is an academic endeavor; its ultimate goal is to collect, analyze, and widely distribute data on marijuana policy that was obtained and analyzed following strict quality standards. LAMRI is formed by the Latin American and Caribbean Center (LACC) at Florida International University, Universidad Católica del Uruguay, and Insights Research and Consulting. 4 current consumption patterns. Ways of accessing marijuana and forms in which marijuana was consumed were explored, as well as their attitudes towards the marijuana regulation law. The exercise of collecting this information at this early stage in the new marijuana policy implementation is a crucial enterprise because it constitutes the baseline for policy impact evaluation. At the same time, it can inform the policy process as it unfolds. In light of this, the main purpose of this article is to introduce the study of frequent consumers of marijuana as well as to present preliminary findings that might be useful to delineate imminent action in the policy implementation. Henceforth, this is essentially a descriptive piece, with the primary objective of disseminating preliminary findings aiming at starting a scholarly and public discussion about them. The following section focuses on the data and methods, with special attention to the specifics of the RDS methodology and the description of the sample. Next, first experiences with marijuana are discussed, as well as current consumption patterns, with a special focus on ways of acquiring marijuana. The subsequent section is devoted to the analysis of frequent consumers’ attitudes towards the marijuana regulation. The final section recaps in the main findings and its implications for the current efforts in policy implementation. Data and Methods Our research team conducted a Respondent Driven Sample (RDS) study of frequent marijuana consumers, residents of Montevideo and the metropolitan area, in Uruguay. The target population was defined as individuals of age 18 or more, who live in the Montevideo metropolitan area and that consume marijuana at least once a week. 5 One of the requirements of the RDS methodology is for the individuals studied to form a social network and to interact face to face (in order to allow recruitment of new participants). Therefore, the study needed to be geographically circumscribed to allow for this interaction among participants. Montevideo occupies a small area (530 square kilometers) (COMM 2014), but the metropolitan area but hosts more than 1,6 million inhabitants, roughly half the entire population of the country (Instituto Nacional de Estadística 2012). For all those reasons, Montevideo and its area of influence was the location of choice for the investigation. This is a study of frequent consumers only and therefore not representative of all marijuana consumers. Evidence from various studies points to the fact that frequent consumers account for
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Marijuana Legalization in Uruguay and Beyond
    Marijuana Legalization in Uruguay and Beyond Maria Fernanda Boidi Insights Research Group José Miguel Cruz Latin American and Caribbean Center, FIU Rosario Queirolo Universidad Católica del Uruguay (UCU) Emily Bello-Pardo Latin American and Caribbean Center, FIU FIU College of Arts & Sciences - School of International and Public Affairs n 2013, Uruguay became the first country in the world to regulate Ithe possession, growth, and distribution of cannabis. The initiative of marijuana regulation by President José Mujica, was passed by the Uruguayan Congress and signed into Law as 19172 by the president in December 20, 2013. The regulation of marijuana, however, has been met with important challenges. According to the AmericasBarometer 2014, over sixty percent of Uruguayan citizens have expressed disagreement with the law. Additionally, leaders within the International Narcotics Control Board have expressed opposition to legalization, characterizing the new law as being in direct defiance of the international drug control treaties. As a result, Uruguay faces both domestic and international opposition in pursuing its innovative marijuana regulation model. This report summarizes the preliminary results from the first systematic research project conducted on the process of marijuana regulation in Uruguay. It revolves around two surveys. First, a Respondent-Driven Sample survey conducted with marijuana consumers in the metropolitan area of Montevideo; and second, the 2014 AmericasBarometer survey in Uruguay conducted by the Latin American Public Opinion Project. The research has been conducted by the Latin American Marijuana Research Initiative (LAMRI), formed by the Latin American and Caribbean Center (LACC) at Florida International University and the Universidad Católica del Uruguay (UCU), with funds from the Open Society Foundations.
    [Show full text]
  • Cannabis and Its Secondary Metabolites: Their Use As Therapeutic Drugs, Toxicological Aspects, and Analytical Determination
    medicines Review Cannabis and Its Secondary Metabolites: Their Use as Therapeutic Drugs, Toxicological Aspects, and Analytical Determination Joana Gonçalves 1,†, Tiago Rosado 1,†, Sofia Soares 1,†, Ana Y. Simão 1,†,Débora Caramelo 1,†, Ângelo Luís 1,† , Nicolás Fernández 2,†,Mário Barroso 3, Eugenia Gallardo 1 and Ana Paula Duarte 1,* 1 Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde da Universidade da Beira Interior (CICS-UBI), 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal; [email protected] (J.G.); [email protected] (T.R.); sofi[email protected] (S.S.); [email protected] (A.Y.S.); [email protected] (D.C.); afl[email protected] (Â.L.); [email protected] (E.G.) 2 Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Cátedra de Toxicología y Química Legal, Laboratorio de Asesoramiento Toxicológico Analítico (CENATOXA). Junín 956 7mo piso. Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires (CABA), Buenos Aires C1113AAD, Argentina; [email protected] 3 Serviço de Química e Toxicologia Forenses, Instituto de Medicina Legal e Ciências Forenses - Delegação do Sul, 1169-201 Lisboa, Portugal; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +35-127-532-9002 † These authors contributed equally to this work. Received: 31 January 2019; Accepted: 18 February 2019; Published: 23 February 2019 Abstract: Although the medicinal properties of Cannabis species have been known for centuries, the interest on its main active secondary metabolites as therapeutic alternatives for several pathologies has grown in recent years. This potential use has been a revolution worldwide concerning public health, production, use and sale of cannabis, and has led inclusively to legislation changes in some countries.
    [Show full text]
  • CANNABIS in LATIN AMERICA: the Regulations and Opportunities
    CANNABIS IN LATIN AMERICA: The Regulations and Opportunities © 2019 Anne Holland Ventures Inc. All Rights Reserved RE S GIS N T IG E S R E E D D C Y O T I M N M U Cannabis in Latin America: The Regulations and Opportunities MJBIZDAILY.COM/INTL CANNABIS IN LATIN AMERICA: THE REGULATIONS AND OPPORTUNITIES The marijuana industry continues to expand internationally, with Latin America and the Caribbean becoming increasingly more difficult to ignore for companies with global aspirations. The geographical region that stretches from the southern border of the United States until the southern tip of South America, including the Caribbean, is home to about 650 million people, of which the vast majority live in a country with some sort of legal medical cannabis. The sheer number of inhabitants, ideal growing conditions in large parts of the region and jurisdictions in favor of production for export signal potentially huge business opportunities. With this report, our goal is to provide a sober analysis, recognizing the prospects that the region as a whole and each country in particular offer. But we also pay close attention to Alfredo Pascual the other side of the coin: weighing the unique challenges of investing or doing business in these jurisdictions. Whenever world maps are colored to show the countries that have some form of legal medical cannabis framework, Latin America is included almost in its entirety. But, as is often the case, the devil is in the details. Restrictive access schemes, lack of health insurance coverage and widespread home growing moderate any initial excitement about the commercial opportunities in these markets.
    [Show full text]
  • Recreational Marijuana Effect in Labour Market Outcomes: Evidence from Uruguay
    Universidad de San Andr´es Departamento de Econom´ıa Licenciatura en Econom´ıa Recreational marijuana effect in labour market outcomes: Evidence from Uruguay Authors: Mat´ıasHern´anMolina Svarre (28072) Pablo Daniel Z´arate(28240) Mentor: Mart´ınRossi Victoria, January 2020 1 Introduction Recreational marijuana usage has been introduced in plenty of countries' debates as a possible progressive reform, now more than ever. On the one hand, people against recreational marijuana usage argue that the legalization would result in an increase in drug addiction, criminal behavior and consumption, and even in a low performance overall. On the other hand, supporters of this policy state that it helps to reduce crime by jeopardizing illegal marijuana producers and dealers. Also, by regulating the marijuana market, government and consumers can profit, respectively, by taxing this new market and by getting a lower price as a result of higher competition, in contrast to the monopoly held in the black market. In 2013, Uruguay became the first Latin American country to allow recreational marijuana consumption, and it is still the only one in the continent. About 6 years after its approval, we want to focus on the impact it had on the labour market, more precisely on the unemployment rate. To do this, we will employ a synthetic control to identify the effect of this policy. In the last few years, marijuana was legalized for recreational use in Uruguay, Canada and in many states of the US. The social and economic implications of such policies have been a major concern for policymakers and researchers. However, there is evidence that suggests positive effects of cannabis on multiple outcomes.
    [Show full text]
  • Life Cycle Assessment of Hemp Biomass Fields for Commercial Cannabidiol Resin Produced in Uruguay
    LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT OF HEMP BIOMASS FIELDS FOR COMMERCIAL CANNABIDIOL RESIN PRODUCED IN URUGUAY Juan Silva Förnamn EfternamnDegree Thesis Materials Processing Technology 2021 DEGREE THESIS Arcada Degree Programme: Material Processing Technology Identification number: 24098 Author: Juan Silva Title: Life cycle assessment of hemp biomass fields for commercial cannabidiol resin produced in Uruguay Supervisor (Arcada): Stewart Makkonen-Craig Abstract: A life cycle assessment (LCA) for hemp biomass with data supplied by a Uruguayan company “Innovaterra Ltd.” was conducted in this study. The LCA analyses only the agricultural phase and not the industrial production of the resin. Therefore, the system boundary utilized is “cradle-to-gate”. The functional unit is kgs fibre/hectare, with the time constrain from the vegetative to the flowering phase until the harvest of the plant (approximately seven months). The aim of the thesis is to discover how much greenhouse gasses (GHG) will be produced in one hectare of hemp biomass field and to reveal the environmental impacts. GaBi LCA software is utilized for the computation of the LCA. This LCA was conducted through following the ISO standards 14040-140440 The inputs and outputs for creating the scenarios, plan, and processes of the LCA are based on literature review and data provided by Innovaterra Ltd. A negative result from the CO2 total emission was achieved, with a value of – 2.8 tons of CO2 equivalent. This is due to the higher CO2 sequestration that one hectare of hemp produces a year with the sowing density and fields design with grass corridors. Additionally, the irrigation system is powered by hydroelectric power.
    [Show full text]
  • Marijuana Legalization in Uruguay and Beyond Executive Summary
    Marijuana Legalization in Uruguay and Beyond Executive Summary María Fernanda Boidi, Insights Research Group José Miguel Cruz, Latin American and Caribbean Center, FIU Rosario Queirolo, Universidad Católica del Uruguay Emily Bello-Pardo, Latin American and Caribbean Center, FIU In 2013, Uruguay became the first country in the world to regulate the possession, growth, and distribution of cannabis. The initiative of marijuana regulation by President José Mujica, was passed by the Uruguayan Congress and signed into Law19172 by the president in December 20, 2013. The regulation of marijuana, however, has been met with important challenges. According to the AmericasBarometer 2014, over sixty percent of Uruguayan citizens have expressed disagreement with the law. Additionally, leaders within the International Narcotics Control Board have expressed opposition to legalization, characterizing the new law as being in direct defiance of the international drug control treaties. As a result, Uruguay faces both domestic and international opposition in pursuing its innovative marijuana regulation model. This report summarizes the preliminary results from the first systematic research project conducted on the process of marijuana regulation in Uruguay. It revolves around two surveys. First, a Respondent-Driven Sample survey conducted with marijuana consumers in the metropolitan area of Montevideo; and second, the 2014 AmericasBarometer survey in Uruguay conducted by the Latin American Public Opinion Project. The research has been conducted by the Latin American Marijuana Research Initiative (LAMRI), formed by the Latin American and Caribbean Center (LACC) at Florida International University and the Universidad Católica del Uruguay (UCU), with funds from the Open Society Foundations. I. The Legal Framework Law 19172 provides three ways to legally obtain cannabis in Uruguay.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 the Repercussions of Cannabis Legalization A
    THE REPERCUSSIONS OF CANNABIS LEGALIZATION A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE MASTER OF ARTS IN POLITICAL SCIENCE BY HERB ENGMAN DR. STEVEN HALL ADVISOR BALL STATE UNIVERSITY MUNCIE, INDIANA December 2014 1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express gratitude to the staff of the Ball State University Political Science Department, specifically Dr. Steven Hall for his guidance and support throughout the research method process. Dr. Joseph Losco, Dr. Daniel Reagan, and Dr. Darren Wheeler provided additional instruction and encouragement throughout the graduate program experience. I would also like to express thanks for the assistance received from all Ball State Department of Political Science staff for their professionalism and prompt resolution of administrative issues. Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to my parents, who instilled in me a regard for work ethic and education, as well as my wife who supported me in allowing me time to focus on this academic work. 2 Introduction The wave of current cannabis legalization in the United States began with the implementation of medicinal use legislation, specifically Proposition 215, “The Compassionate Care Act,” in California in 1996. In such models of medicinal use, law enforcement does not pursue prosecution of individuals for cannabis use as long as they are in possession of a physician’s recommendation that stipulates possible medical benefit or alleviation of symptoms with the use of cannabis. Cannabis is currently a schedule I substance under the Federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA); therefore, doctors are unable to prescribe cannabis as doing so would be a violation of Federal Law.
    [Show full text]
  • Cannabis in Uruguay a Case Study of the Regulated Cannabis Market in Uruguay
    Cannabis in Uruguay A case study of the regulated cannabis market in Uruguay By Rodrigo Pulido Moreno Department of Romance Studies and Classics Institute of Latin American Studies Bachelor’s thesis 15 hp Bachelor’s degree in Latin American Studies and Portuguese (30 Credits) Semester: HT 16 Supervisor: Alejandro Gonzalez Cannabis in Uruguay Contents Disposition .................................................................................................................................. 0 Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 0 Objective, Delimitations, Research questions ..................................................................................... 1 State of the art ..................................................................................................................................... 2 Method &Material ............................................................................................................................... 3 Theoretical framework ................................................................................................................ 5 Background ................................................................................................................................. 9 Post Legalization ....................................................................................................................... 11 Legislative Analysis ..................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Lessons from Cannabis Legalisation 2020
    LESSONS FROM CANNABIS LEGALISATION USAPlus additional commentary on URUGUAY & CANADA 2020 Prepared by Smart Approaches Reviewed by researchers from: University of Colorado at Denver to Marijuana (SAM) NZ Coalition Harvard Medical School Boston Children’s Hospital And Smart Approaches To University of Connecticut Marijuana (SAM) US Yale University University of Kansas and more 2 Smart Approaches To Marijuana NZ (SAM-NZ) is an alliance of community organisations and leaders in New Zealand (including ex-addicts, educators, ex- police, addiction counsellors, health professionals and community workers). We oppose any attempt to legalise cannabis, based on reputable science and sound principles of public health and safety. SayNopeToDope.org.nz/about-us Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) is an alliance of organisations and individuals dedicated to a health-first approach to marijuana policy. We are professionals working in mental health and public health. We are bipartisan. We are medical doctors, lawmakers, treatment providers, preventionists, teachers, law enforcement officers and hersot who seek a middle road between incarceration and legalization. Our commonsense, third-way approach to marijuana policy is based on reputable science and sound principles of public health and safety. SAM is led by Dr Kevin Sabet, a former advisor to three U.S. presidential administrations (Clinton, Bush and Obama Administrations) - the only drug policy staffer to have ever served as a political appointee in a Democrat and Republican administration. LearnAboutSam.org/who-we-are 3 RESEARCH ON MARIJUANA HARMS Scientific literature on the harms of marijuana use medical marijuana products advertised in retail stores exists in abundance and will be discussed in this contain around the same amount of THC as recreational report.
    [Show full text]
  • Last Ned Big Cannabis. Notat 2:2016
    Big cannabis Framveksten av en ny industri ACTIS-RAPPORT 2:2016 Innhold ACTIS ACTIS RAPPORT Innledning �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 3 RAPPORT SIDE 2 Innledning SIDE 3 En kort historikk ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 5 Hva er Big cannabis? ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 8 Industri og folkehelse ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������8 «Big cannabis is coming.» Industrien som politisk aktør ......................................................................................................................9 Fastcompany.com 2014 Alkohol- og tobakksindustriens rolle ..................................................................................................12 Ungdom og tunge brukere ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������14 Denne rapporten handler om et fenomen som fortsatt er i støpeskjeen. Individorientering ...............................................................................................................................................16 Man kan kanskje med rette hevde at fenomenet ikke finnes ennå – i hvert fall ikke i fullt monn all den tid det ikke finnes store, multinasjonale Produktutvikling ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������17
    [Show full text]
  • UNIVERSITAT AUTÒNOMA DE BARCELONA Faculty of Economics and Business Studies
    UNIVERSITAT AUTÒNOMA DE BARCELONA Faculty of Economics and Business Studies Marihuana legalization and its effects on consumption and teenagers’ perception Jorge Alfredo Pellegrini Padilla Thesis supervisor: Mikel Esnaola Acebes Submitted to meet the requirements of the Bachelor of Economics at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, June 2019 I declare that this thesis has been composed solely by myself and that it has not been submitted, in whole or in part, in any previous application for a degree. Except where states otherwise by reference or acknowledgment, the work presented is entirely my own. Jorge Alfredo Pellegrini Padilla (2019) 2 ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to test if the legalization of recreational marihuana implies an increase in the number of new consumers and if, at the same time, the teenager’s perception of the substance is affected by the measure. A historical review of cannabis focusing on its uses and legal status throughout the time was performed in order to have a solid background of the topic. Then, why and how Uruguay and Canada recently legalized the plant was analysed, pointing out the differences between the two approaches: socialist vs capitalist. The case of the United States is also considered, explaining the current legal situation of the substance in the country. Finally, using data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) a quantitative analysis was conducted in the United States. It was concluded that the legalization of recreational marihuana potentially implies a positive increase in the number of new consumers of the drug and, on the other side, that the perception of teenagers regarding the drug is not likely to be affected by the new legal status of the plant.
    [Show full text]
  • Uruguay's Cannabis
    Effective Public Management MARCH 2018 Uruguay’s cannabis law: Pioneering a new paradigm John Hudak, Geoff Ramsey, and John Walsh INTRODUCTION Uruguay is the first country to legalize and regulate its domestic non-medical cannabis market. In light of this pioneering role, the choices and experiences of Uruguayan authorities hold important lessons for other jurisdictions that may consider whether and how to regulate cannabis. Uruguay’s breakthroughs and challenges related to banking, international treaties, access to the product, enforcement, medical cannabis, tourism, and research and evaluation in particular hold immense value to policymakers and analysts elsewhere. To this end, this report examines the conditions that led Uruguay’s government to pass its cannabis law in 2013, studies its progress so far, and identi- fies areas that policymakers should consider addressing in order to maximize the law’s potential benefits. Key findings include: • Uruguay should consider long-term measures to ensure that cannabis business entities have access to financial institutions, including outreach to other jurisdictions shifting toward cannabis regulation, such as Canada. • The medical and law enforcement sectors require substantial education and training, particu- John Hudak is a senior fellow and deputy larly regarding the aims and expected benefits of cannabis regulation, how to broaden access director of the Center to medical cannabis, and the new enforcement rules under the law. for Effective Public Management at the Brookings Institution. • Implementation of commercial sales so far has been marked by shortcomings in distribution. Geoff Ramsey is the Uruguay can overcome these obstacles by widening legal points of sale to include not only assistant director for Venezuela at WOLA.
    [Show full text]